Press

Kirkus Reviews

Neufeld, JoshA.D.: New Orleans After the DelugeIllus. by the author

6/1/2009

Graphic
artist Neufeld paints an emotive portrait of New Orleans during and after
Hurricane Katrina, as seen through the eyes of seven of the city’s citizens.The
opening panels coalesce into a long cinematic pan, a thrumming setup for the
disaster. The half-page and quarter-page panels — satellite views of
weather patterns and close inspections of neighborhoods — are crisp,
and the two-page spreads are softly focused. There are no spoken words for
the ominous first 25 pages; gathering winds and lashing waters propel the
narrative. Thereafter, the braided story of seven people involved in the events
— three tell of their exodus and the after-effects, four ride out the
storm and its wake at home — provides an intimate appreciation of their
frazzled emotional states in response to varied tribulations. This is a Hydra-headed,
daily-mounting experience in political malfeasance — Neufeld explores
FEMA’s failures, the menacing presence of the Army and police and the
ineptitude of the government — spontaneous social engineering (tough
guys distributing looted goods to the people stuck at the Convention Center
and maintaining order), alienation of those who evacuated (“I think
I could’ve stayed longer. I kinda felt like I wussied out”) and
the kindness of strangers. There’s also plenty of misery, from the terror
of the storm and the rising waters to the merciless heat and stink in the
days after, with little potable water, food or medical supplies. Neufeld’s
words and images are commensurable and rhythmic, and the vernacular is sharp.
Bristling with attitude and pungent with social awareness. (Agent: Kate
Lee/ICM)